Meta

An End, A Beginning… and a possible major freakout

Today’s the day I put in two weeks’ notice. Ye olde daye jobe will soon be defunct, and I will be working for the worst boss of all: meownself.

People at work keep asking me if I’m sure. As if trading stability for risk is ever something you can be sure of.

Of course I’m not sure. I’m not sure my books will sell. I’m not sure the merchandise I’ve got planned will move (although I have a feeling you guys are going to love the stuff based on geology puns!). I’m not sure the economy won’t tank and flush me just as things begin to take off. Can’t be sure of anything.

Except.

I’m sure I can’t play it safe anymore.

I’m sure I want to step off that mountain, even though there’s no way of knowing if I’ll fall or fly.

I’m sure there’s a lot I want to do that I haven’t got time for now: so many books to write, and fun things to design, and adventures to go on.

Two weeks, and the badge gets discarded forever. I kiss the sweet union-bargained benefits goodbye. I say sayonara to the steady paycheck. And probably panic a bit before I get my footing. Shit’s a little scary, y’know. But I’m ready to take the plunge, because even if I fall, I can manage to land somewhere soft enough. And who knows – maybe this is the day that I fly.

Oh, Dana, I’m so happy for you! The clues have been leaking out for a long while that you need to leave the cubicle farm. You are terrific, you’re a fine writer, and you nonfiction writing is so good that I’m looking forward to you tempting me out of my “fiction drought”.

I know you must have a million plans, and a lot of writing to do, but if you decide to visit Giant Caldera Land, drop me a line.

Oh please, please, publish your Mount Saint Helens series as a book! I have recommended the various posts all along, but would LOVE having it as a single book/e-book that I could point, say, my husband to. He would love it.

Hey there Dana, well for me this year marks both 25 years of happy marriage and soon 25 years of self employment. It’s been a roller coaster ride (the self employment gig!) but at no stage have I ever contemplated going back to being a wage slave. It’s too soul destroying if you’re an original thinker.
Best of luck navigating the rest of your life.

It was almost 9 years ago to the day that I hung out my own shingle. Since then, I’ve never been happier. I actually had to talk myself into not taking every project thrown my way, because I got a bit overwhelmed the first year. I made a lot of money, but didn’t have much of a social life. I’ve calmed down a bit.

Once you find that income/expense–work/life balance point, you’ll do fine.

I’ll be in line right behind these good persons and true to buy your books Dana! You’d written that you were sure you couldn’t play it safe anymore. Here’s another one: You can be sure you’ll never know if you don’t try. And I salute you for making the effort. BTW–that’s what really matters here. Not winning or losing, but making the effort.

“Do you have any idea what the odds are against winning the lottery?”
“I’m sure they’re zero if I don’t buy a goddamned ticket!”

Someone a helluva lot smarter than me once said that it’s a short time between womb and tomb and therefore we ought to take full measure of this thingy here called life. Again, I salute you for doing just that!!11Eleventy!

congrats. I left a job a bit over a year ago that I hated, the worst combination of a job that did nothing and a boss that was put into place thanks to cronyism. My current job isn’t perfect but it is *better*. Change is good. I